


Crossed Wires

by Lilly_Valens



Category: Bully (Video Games)
Genre: Bullying, M/M, Revenge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-02
Updated: 2016-07-16
Packaged: 2018-03-26 18:31:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3860245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilly_Valens/pseuds/Lilly_Valens
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jimmy Hopkins. Duncan McTavish. Two souls that unexpectedly collide into one another one warm autumn night. Will what unfolds between them allow Jimmy to become King of Bullworth Academy and Duncan to avenge the bullying he endured at Bullworth at long last?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Collision Course

**Author's Note:**

> New writer to this part of the site, but not to the fandom. I've played through Bully in its entirety at least four or five times since it came out on PC in 2008. I don't profess to be any sort of expert writer and what is produced is simply my own interpretation of the source material. That being said I'm always happy if someone out there happens to enjoy the random meanderings that have decided to make their way out of my mind.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

_Do some people like to make themselves miserable?_ thought Duncan McTavish as he stole to the disused dirt path that ran alongside the outskirts of Bullworth Academy. The sordid hellhole that marked the end of the world. _His_ world.

Lukewarm beer bottle in hand, Duncan kicked away a clump of leaves. Though the air remained tinged with the mugginess of summer, the landscape was marked with all the signs of the rapidly enclosing autumn. A patch of grass cleared by his foot, he settled himself against the brick wall that encircled most of the school's grounds.

Flinging away the drained bottle, Duncan felt satisfaction hearing glass shatter upon a nearby rock. He shivered as the late evening breeze blew through his brown buzzcut. The small wooded grove was cooler than he'd expected.

He remained uncertain just what had compelled him to this area of Bullworth. After all, it was customary for him to spend Friday nights drinking beer and smoking weed with his friends at the ancient church in Old Bullworth Vale before trying to entice the rich preppies whom populated the area into knockdown, bear knuckle fights.

Duncan grinned as he looked at the still healing cuts from last weekend's tussles. A wiry sixteen-year-old of average height, many underestimated his proficiency at fighting. But he was strong and scrappy and no one had more grit than he. _Feels sooo good to be on the giving end of the fists for a change!_

His eyes then clouded, his expression bitter and twisted. Duncan pulled himself upright and began walking backwards until he could _just_ see the tip of the Academy's bell tower. His heart and fists clenched in unison. _God._ How he hated that school with every fibre and morsel of his being. The parts of himself that remained intact from the carnage and torment he had endured at Bullworth Academy not-so-very-long-ago.

 _Bullied almost to death by those fucking bastards!_ Duncan's toes curled recalling the last month he'd been able to handle before the bullying had grown too extreme and had culminated with his dropping out eighteen months prior. Time had rendered him almost unrecognizable from the short, chubby mound of blubber that had passed through the iron wrought front gates trembling in tears as he'd fled, tail between his legs. Back then, his weight had rivalled that of only fellow nerd Fatty Johnson. But puberty and depression combined had melted away the excess fat and his aptitude challenge, leaving a vengeful young man in their wake.

Avoiding the trauma had also only magnified his hard feelings toward Bullworth Academy and its inhabitants. _Time heal all wounds? Pure and utter bullshit!_ Dropping out had been an abrupt halt to all his plans, his hopes and dreams. Gone was the pathway he had once envisioned would lead him towards a career as a video game designed that would be the mastermind of the _ultimate_ Grotto and Gremlins game. Enrolling in the local high school had seemed pointless when all his passion for learning was gone.

Duncan crammed his hands into the pockets of his faded jeans that were torn at the knees. He prepped himself to wait. No matter how long it took some punk Bullworth student to stumble towards his vantage point he would stay where he was. _Whoever's unlucky enough to sneak back here tonight better say their prayers!_

* * *

Perhaps one hundred feet away between rotting beams and crumbling brick, James 'Jimmy' Hopkins took a weary breath before collapsing the rickety bed that was only piece of furniture in his dorm room that appeared to offer any semblance of comfort. After a trying day it was all he could hope for.

Jimmy almost choked on the cloud of dust the billowed into the air when he hit the mattress. _What a dump!_ he thought. For the millionth time that day, he cursed his luck from having been expelled from any halfway decent boarding school. _Guess it could always be worse, though._ Instead of peeling plaster he could've been staring down the bars of a cell in juvenile detention.

And the added benefit of the record that had followed him from his previous schools had been him been assigned his own room instead of having to share with any of the other boys. Dr. Crabblesnitch, the school's pretentious headmaster, had been insistent that admitting Jimmy into the Academy was contingent on the extra funds being forked over for a private room. While his new stepdad had initially balked at the additional costs, the yearlong honeymoon that hinged on him being able to stash Jimmy somewhere had won out.

 _Bastard who's twice as old as my grandfather and fat and bald too!_ Though he'd had three other stepfathers, there was something about this one in particular that got under Jimmy's skin. It seemed his mother's standards, aside from the financial ones, dwindled with each succeeding marriage. _Phonies. Each and every one of the them. What the hell is wrong with you, Mom?_

 _Stop it! Thinking about Fat Bastard and Bridezilla ain't gonna help you now._ Tired and fed up, Jimmy sighed. His head still pounded from the punch he'd taken earlier in the day during his trial by fire. The swing had come from a guy named Russell, if Jimmy recalled the name right. _Good name for an ape if there ever was one!_ He rubbed his sore cheekbone, the one that had taken the brunt of the sucker punch. _The pain's not a bad thing. It's there to help you remember what priority number one is right now: Getting revenge and learning how to survive this joint!_

Jimmy threw aside the nauseating yellow bedspread that smelt older than even his new stepfather. The small room was stuff, almost unbearably so. _Guess you can't count air-conditioning as a highlight of this place. And if I stay in here much longer I'm gonna get an even worse headache!_ Jimmy looked to the door leading into the hallway of the Boys' Dorm, trying to decide whether it was safe to attempt passage outside via that route. He quickly decided against it. The bullies that had accosted him upon his arrival to Bullworth had been having a shoving match just outside room a few minutes prior as he'd quickly rushed past them to the comparative .

 _Those guys don't scare me!_ Jimmy thought. And judging by his results earlier in the day he could take any one of those guys on with one hand tied behind his back. _That ape Russell though…_ He shook his head. There were other factors to consider, anyways. The area outside the entrance to the dorm was, according to Gary, the guy who'd made it his solemn sworn duty for some reason to show Jimmy around Bullworth on today's first day, had warned Jimmy that the area would be swarming with prefects. "And you don't want to let them see you breaking any rules," Gary had warned with a relishing grin. "Or they'll hurt you."

 _Guess that leaves the window._ Jimmy got to his feet, looking for something to assist him in prying open the window. He seemed to remember spotting a small wooded area in the area immediately behind his dorm room. He was certain it would be little trouble at all to slip out the window and quickly hightail it over the back fence.

With an old letter pen he had found atop the desk that Jimmy was sure had been in his room since the time of the Arc, he was at last successful in jiggling open the window. In less time than it takes to speak of it, the stocky boy had crept out the window and dropped onto the pavement below, his sneakers emitting a soundless thud.

Jimmy crouched, almost passing out from the stench of the putrid dumpster he had pressed his body against. He could hear hard, distant that were almost drowned out by the heartbeat banging against his eardrums. After a few minutes passed, Jimmy relaxed, certain the prefects would remain out front, too lazy to sweep the area in which he was. Without a second thought, he climbed atop the dumpster and made a running leap for the fence directly ahead. He felt relief when his hands came in contact with chickenwire rather than brick. _Almost there._ His face reddening with exertion, Jimmy pulled himself upward along the flimsy wire, moving carefully when he swung one leg over the other side. The last thing he needed now was to tear to the one pair of khaki uniform pants the school had outfitted him with.

 _Huh?!_ Spotting a dark form beginning to drop onto the ground round nearby, Duncan halted his breath. With trepidation, he crouched down as his prey slowly began to make its way towards him, another Bullworth prick whom had no idea at the fury upon to rain down on it.


	2. Point of Impact

Jimmy winced when he hit the packed dirt. The pain forming in his ankles was far greater than he'd anticipated. Bu at long last he was alone. Finally in a place where he could begin to put together a plan of action. _Shouldn't be a big deal, anyways. Doesn't take a nerd to see that Gary spouts off a lot of crap. Bullworth the_ toughest _school in the county? Complete and utter bullshit! Bullworth has nothing over the seven other schools I've been in!_

 _What's taking him so long?!_ Duncan squinted in the rapidly dimming evening light. He tried in vain to make out the dark blob a short distance away from where he was hunkered down. _It's a guy! Definitely a guy, for sure and certain._ Some of his anxiety dissipated; as much as he loathed Bullworth Academy students beating up the female component of that population wasn't Duncan's style.

Still thoroughly worn out, Jimmy plopped onto his ass. He didn't care about the moisture seeping through his pants and undershorts from the loamy soil of which his woodland throne was compromise. _Hell, might even help me focus better!_

 _This is just too perfect!_ Duncan thought. _The bastard's_ making _himself a sitting duck!_ This shifted the dynamics of the situation at hand considerably. He let his worry as to whether the other party was packing weapons or had a mean left uppercut fall fallow. His grin became sinister as he threw himself atop the other boy.

"Whoa!" Jimmy screamed, suddenly pinned to his back on the woodland floor by an unknown assailant. He brought his arms across his face in a futile effort to protect himself from the storm of punches raining down across his body.

Duncan sneered with contentment. His face grew more animated as he continued to swing blow upon blow upon the boy he'd ambushed. His arms began to ache and shake with fatigue. But he didn't care. All that mattered was _him_ now being the supreme warrior knight exercising vengeful justice upon the hapless peasant that embodied the helpless creature he'd once been.

 _Fuck!_ Pain was beginning to cloud what little remained of Jimmy's better judgment, but remnants of that morning's chemistry lecture and the unlikely product it'd helped him concoct during his solitary lunch hour in his room was still at the forefront of his brain. The terrific item he'd produced on the ancient chemistry set he'd stumbled upon during a more thorough appraisal of the room's contents.

 _If only I can grab it!_ he thought desperately. His breath coming came out in a series of ragged gasps in the valiant effort to wriggle free of his attacker before quickly surmising that was too much to hope for. He instead tried to move his right hand towards his pants pocket. He prayed his aggressor didn't fathom just _what_ he had up his sleeve.

"Had enough?!" Duncan bellowed. He adjusted his body so he sat atop the mystery boy, both knees digging into the ground to keep himself steady. His fury only increased when his inquiry was met with silence, aside from the occasional grunt of exertion from the force he was duelling.

 _There we go!_ Jimmy's fingers clasped around his explosive salvation.

"I said have you had enough?!" Duncan snarled, twisted one of his opponent's wrists in a brutal Indian burn. It would have been an undecipherable puzzle to a daylight observer _why_ no smoke rose from the sheer intensity of the assault.

 _Come on!_ Jimmy flung the homemade firecracker he'd managed to grab, hoping against hope it would detonate in a place that would play out to his advantage. He processed aim in the same realm as a well-practiced marksman and it was infuriating to be deprived of it now.

Flash! Bang! The loud crack echoed through the trees and ricocheted off the leaves.

"Yeow!" Duncan cried when the force of the sudden explosion blew him onto his back.

Ears ringing and body stinging, Jimmy feebly rolled onto his stomach. _Guess I might've made the TNT a bit too strong._ In a hazy daze, he tried to prop himself up on his elbows and see what carnage his firecracker had wrought.

Blurry snatches of the world swam before Duncan's eyes. _Fuck. He's done it this time._ It must've finally happened. Davis White, one of the coldest and most vicious bullies to ever grace Bullworth Academy's hallways, had finally pummeled Duncan into oblivion. A nasty gash on one cheek began to bleed, his literal life-force ebbing away drop by drop.

His head beginning to clear, Jimmy was at last able to sneak a glance of his assailant. Shadows from the trees that towered above both boys captured most of the soft moonlight, but he was able to make a haphazard guestimate of his enemy's size. To his amazement his fellow teenager was just as tall as he was, but that was where the similarities ended. Whereas Jimmy processed a stocky, sturdy build the other guy was thin. Almost gaunt. It was a wonder the wispy cornstalk hadn't been swept away to be battered apart by the autumn wind.

"What the fuck did you do that for!? You tryin' to kill us both?" yelled Duncan, sitting bolt upright and pressing a sweaty palm to his injured cheek.

 _You delusional or something buddy?_ Jimmy shook his head, not even attempting to disguise his disgusted disbelief. "I did what I had to do!"

" _Had_ to do?!" Duncan spat back, smearing and caking blood across his face.

Jimmy nodded carelessly in reply. He could feel his very innards growing cold and hard. "I was minding my own business when _you_ fucking jumped me, man! So when I say I did what I had to do, I did what I needed to get your ass off of mine! And I'm gonna share a little secret with you right now, buddy: I only give people what they have coming to them so I hope you're hurting right now!"

"Utter and complete bullshit if I've ever heard any!"

Jimmy smirked. Just revenge and punishment was one of his firmest values. _And this stupid asshole thinks he can tell me otherwise? We shall see my friend!_ "Ha. Well, I guess you're entitled to your opinion buddy if nothing else!"

Duncan's blood boiled. How dare a lowly Bullworth punk talk down to _him_ like that. He had to suppress a snort at the not-so-subtle insult towards his intelligence. Before his academic career had drawn to its reluctant close, it wouldn't have been an exaggeration to claim Duncan had read every book in the school library at least twice cover to cover.

"It's not just an opinion or a mere untested hypothesis. It's a bonafied proven theory! But I should've known you Bullworth pricks are just as fucking thick as ever!" Duncan shot back, struggling to get back on his feet.

 _Fat chance you bastard!_ Jimmy manage to scramble upright first. It didn't take a Nerd to figure out that that balled up fist was aimed straight for the side of his head.

Thwack!

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Duncan yelled, crumbling to the ground and clutching his left shin in agony.

Jimmy crossed his arms, trying with all his might to resist the temptation to spit in the other boy's face. "Think that so-called theory of yours needs some fucking revision! You didn't deserve anything I've dished out to you tonight? Bullshit! Look at just what happened now: you thought it would be a smart idea to sucker punch me, so I kicked you in the shin instead. I'd say you got your just desserts just now fair and square!" He gave the treacherous scumbag a light kick to the ribs to empathize his point.

Duncan averted his head so the boy didn't even have the faintest chance of spotting his sudden tears. _Fuck._ He couldn't believe he was _here_ again, lying on his fucking back like a hapless wretch once more. Eighteen months had come and gone since this had last occurred. One-and-a-half revolutions around the sun. Almost a lifetime ago. Yet that damned hellhole so close by still coloured each and thought that crossed his hyperactive mind. "Whatever, dumbass! Mark my words, hapless peasant, when I say I'm gonna give you what you've got coming!"

Jimmy leaned against the chickenwire. He was tempted to just hightail it over the fence and sneak back into the dorms for some much needed sleep. But something in the other boy's diction struck him as odd and made him pause. _Hapless peasant?_ Jimmy turned the quaint phrase over in his mind several times. The peasant bit wasn't so strange; that word had been directed his way by any one of the massively inbred, completely brainless Preppies he'd been unfortunate enough to cross paths with earlier in the day.

He snorted when the realization came to him. Jimmy hadn't been completely checked out when Gary had given his lecture on each of the Academy's main cliques that morning. Whilst tuning in for the only the relevant bits of the bumbo jumbo being shot in his ear he'd been astute enough to make some auditory observations of his own. "You one of those mamas' boy dorks or something, pal?" he taunted.

"What's it to you?" Duncan shot back before he could stop himself. It still remained so damned difficult for him to completely close off the memories of the fat, helpless nerd he'd once been. Christened 'Dunnie' by his legions of tormentors, Duncan had literally been at the mercy of the Jocks and Bullies he'd knocked only knocked his skull and bashed his shins on a good day. _Fucking idiot! Don't think about the past! Look ahead; you're Duncan McTavish, black ninja warrior. Not-_

Jimmy smirked, feeling perverse satisfaction at drawing blood. "It's nothing. I could care less, actually, if you want the real truth."

"If that's the case why'd you even ask?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know? You're the nerd. Aren't you supposed to be the one with the answers to everything that goes on in the world?"

His body becoming numb to last frail thread of pain that still remained, Duncan glared. The late evening breeze waving the tree leaves overhead allowed more light to filter downward. He stole a quick glimpse of his advisory: stocky and well-build around the shoulders with a red buzzcut and a generous helping of freckles spread across a sunburnt face.

 _God he's fugly,_ Duncan thought. He added another entry to his mental list of guys he had no desire to screw. _Amazing what spending a little time alone will do for you._ He'd always figured that someday he'd dig chicks the way the rest of his buddies did. But instead the onslaught of puberty had made very clear just which gender did it for him.

"Guess not," Jimmy remarked, anxious to break apart the silence enveloping them both. "I should've known you were just like the rest of them."

"The hell's that supposed to mean?"

"You put up a front. Try to act tough and convince yourself you're smart and too good for the rest of us. But you know what you really are? A phony. Nothing but a big fucking phony who's too chickenshit to even fight fair!"

"Why you little," Duncan snarled, fists clenching as he made a beeline for the other boy's torso.


	3. The Vow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Certainly been a while; however, I wish to say thanks for all the kudos this past year.

"Get off me!" Jimmy bellowed as the other boy tackled him to the ground. For almost a minute, the only sound that escaped from the thicket was that of the boys tussling through the damp leaves and mud.

Duncan gritted his teeth. The kid was making a valiant effort at trying to get free, but he held on with the tenacity of a gremlin who didn't know the battle was already lost and he pinned himself against the dueling force all the harder.

 _Bastard!_ Spread-eagled on his back, there was no way Jimmy could reach for another firecracker. Against his better instincts, he stopped struggling. _Maybe, just maybe, the prick will buy it and I can get another shot off!_

Duncan grinned at feeling his prey give up the struggle. "Had enough?" he taunted, grabbing the other boy's wrists and forcing them to the ground. _No way he's getting another cheap shot off on me!_ "It's time you learned what happens when you mess with the Townies, punk!"

"Who's out there?! Come out to play-ay!"

 _Shit!_ Duncan froze when he saw a sharp beam of light pierce the darkness. The light could only have one meaning: a prefect out looking for students breaking curfew. And if he was caught trespassing on Bullworth Academy grounds and turned over to the police again...

"We'll finish this later!" Duncan yelled, giving the punk one last hard punch before bolting towards the road. His breath coming out in ragged, rapid gasps, he sprinted as hard as he could towards the safety of the trailer park.

 _The hell?_ Jimmy thought in a daze. He sat up gingerly, his body aching from head to toe.

"Hopkins! I might've guessed!"

Jimmy scrunched up his face, blinded by a bright flashlight. It wasn't long before he felt a large hand grab him by the scruff of his neck and haul him to his feet.

"What's the matter? Homesick already and thought you could just run home to mama?" the man taunted, switching off his flashlight and pocketing it. He knew the way back to the Boys' Dorm from here like the back of the parking lot at the In-and-Out Motel.

Jimmy looked up to see who this new tormentor was. His heart skipped; even in the dimness he could tell it was one of the prefects, a tall, vicious boy with glasses that Gary had warned him to watch out for.

"Come on! I haven't got all night! March!" ordered the prefect.

"I wasn't doing nothing!" Jimmy sputtered. He struggled to get free, but realized fast that it was futile. He had little choice but try and keep up with the prefect if he didn't want his throbbing ass to drag through the loamy soil.

The prefect grunted as they exited the woods and hit the road just outside the school gates. He sneered at the wayward boy. "You do realize that the Academy's not the only one with a curfew and that the town of Bullworth's got one too?"

"So what?" Jimmy shot back. He had already decided from the backseat of his stepfather's car that Bullworth was a dump and that he had no desire to get schooled in its local customs.

The prefect replied with a relishing grin. "Getting caught by the police for violating curfew is a serious offense. Of course, if you _were_ a good kid, they'd just dump you back here; they know how we try to instill discipline in some of our more, let's say, troublesome students."

 _Some threat! Am I supposed to be scared or something?_ Hoping he looked as bored as he felt, Jimmy began to pick a loose thread off of his sweater.

"However," the other boy continued, "if said troublemaker is someone like yourself who's already been kicked out of a number of schools…"

 _What the hell's he trying to get at?_ Jimmy felt his stomach begin to clench; things had a way of going even further south whenever his past behavioural record was brought up. _Has no one around this joint ever heard of starting over at a new prison with a clean slate?_

"A person such as yourself, Hopkins, a person already on strict probation for being a punk and admitted to Bullworth with the severe reservations of the headmaster-"

"So what's your point?" he interjected.

The prefect grinned. "Point is that violating your probation is also a violation of the academic contract that even permits you to be here, Hopkins."

 _He almost makes that sound like a punishment._ Jimmy hated Bullworth and would seize a chance to leave without hesitation. But… He scowled; truth was, he _had_ to stay at this school or it was the end of the line. Dozens of other schools, both public and private, had a refused to admit a boy with his record into their midst. If he got kicked out of this school…Jimmy quickly stopped that train of thought. He was in this spot only because he'd been caught. _Just need to be smarter next time so I don't end up in this position again…_

"Hopkins!" the prefect barked, "Quit daydreaming and come with me! Unless, of course, you'd rather I pick you up by the collar," he added airily.

Scowling, Jimmy trailed behind the man-boy. _None of this would've happened if I hadn't wasted all that time with that stupid prick._ A resolution began to form within. _He's said that he'd be back. And next time I'll make sure he gets what's coming to him._

The prefect gave Jimmy a rough shove when they reached the Boys' Dorm. "I don't know why I'm doing this Hopkins, but I'll let you off and not mention this whole affair to Crabblesnitch. But just this once; screw up again and I'll make your life a living hell. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Yes what?"

"I mean yes, sir," Jimmy mumbled sullenly. _Great. Another future corporate lawyer on a power trip. Wonder what he's trying to compensate for?_

"Alright. Now beat it," the other boy ordered. Job done, he began to make his way towards Harrington House and the party he'd been looking forward to all evening.

Entering the dorm, Jimmy was relieved to find it looking virtually deserted so that he could make his way over to his room in peace. The last thing he needed now was one of his tormenters to make his night even more difficult.

Exhausted, he flopped onto his bed without bothering to remove his damp, soiled uniform, which had somehow escaped the scuffle with the mystery without any rips or tears. _Fucking prick…_

Before letting his eyes close, a firm plan formed in his mind; he _would_ go to the woods again and beat the other boy to kingdom com the next time they crossed paths. _And to do that I've gotta learn to fight better and tougher._ He smiled before sleep pounced on him. _And if I learn to do that, I'll even show the phonies around here just what they're messing with!_

* * *

Dripping with sweat and panting for breath, Duncan took a minute to rest before entering his trailer, cursing at himself for forgetting his inhaler. Lights blazed from the trailer and that made him nervous; the last thing he needed tonight was for his mom to get on his case again.

 _Might as well get this over with._ Opening the rusted screen door, he hoped Lady Luck was with him and this his mom would already be passed out on the sofa; Fridays were the day she worked two jobs to earn a little extra cash. Walking quickly, he'd _almost_ made it to the safety of his room when he heard the voice that always stopped him cold.

"Duncan!" Rosa McTavish hollered. "Where the hell have you been?! You got any idea what time is and how long I've been up worrying and wondering just what the hell you've been up to?!"

"I was out," he replied stiffly.

"With who?" she asked, her voice softening just a little.

"The guys!" he shot back. He turned away to hide his guilt; he lied so easily and frequently these days that it unnerved even him. _But so what? The days I was a kiss-up, suck up dork are gone._

"What guys? Where?" she queried. She wrung her hands anxiously; the life her son had led and all the ways he'd changed for the worse since dropping out consumed most of her free thoughts.

"None of your business!" He shook his head; he was nearly almost a man and felt he'd reached the age where he should be able to come and go as he pleased.

She sighed. "Son, I know you think you're too old for me to be getting on your case like this, but you've got to understand where I'm coming from…"

 _Fuck_ , Duncan thought as he tuned out the moaning wind bag; his mom had always had the uncanny ability to sense what he was really thinking. Once upon a time, they'd been real close and he'd spilled everything to her. _Of course, dropping out changed everything. She she's going to realize the person she thinks I still am is dead and that things are never going back to the way they were?_

"…so, can you see why now it's so hard for me to not know where you are or what you've been up to?" Rosa pleaded.

Absently, Duncan picked a thread off his shirt; silence was the better part of valour.

"Just please don't tell me you were fighting again."

"So I won't," he mumbled. He winced at the sharp intake of breath that statement caused his mom to take. He now gave her more than just a passing glance. _She looks tired._ Her eyes were bruised with fatigue and the fire trunk red dye job only emphasized it. _God, she looks like cheap a cheap hooker,_ he thought, though she really wasn't; she was merely a low income woman with poor taste.

"Duncan, please-"

"Enough!" he hollered, pushing over an empty TV dinner tray. "My life's enough of a joke without you constantly reminding of that every single fucking second!"

Rosa backed off in alarm; her boy, once so sweet and gentle spirited, was now prone to explosive outbursts that seemed to have no rhyme or reason. It was always best to back off when he got like this lest he destroy the few meagre possessions they owned.

"Glad to see you're coming around to my point of view!" Duncan yelled, storming to his room. He gave the door a good, hard slam before jumping onto his bed. _What a great way to end a Fri-fucking-day's night!_

He frowned. He really couldn't blame his mom for this downturn in his mood; it was all that stupid Bullworth prick's fault. _Stupid fucker brought up shit he had no right to! He's going to pay for that!_

His seething anger began to dissipate as he made an internal vow. _Next week same Bat time, same Bat channel. Only this time that little freak will learn to never fuck with me again!_ He grinned at realizing the rest of his weekend now had the regimented structure he missed about school. He would redouble his efforts at the gym and spend the rest of his time learning new moves from his friends. _After all, the best offense against enemy grottos is an even better defensive city wall!_

'


End file.
